Mineral and rock sampling unit



March 7, 1961 T. H. HAGERMAN ETAL 2,973,320 MINERAL AND Rocx sAMPLING UNIT l Filed D60. 14, 1955 j 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATT 0R NE Ys March 7, 1961 1'. H. HAGERMAN r-:rAL 2,973,820

MINERAL AND Roox SANPLING UNIT Filed Dec. 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

ATroR NE YS T. H. HAGERMAN ErAL 2,973,820

MINERAL AND Roox sAMPLING UNIT March 7, 1961 Filed Dec. 14, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 3 ,2jr-- nV-38 f5 42 43 31 fa 2 l IN VE N TUR.

.7e-Jr gfenrik ga erman Carl- Glof Oskar llorfeldt Jlfz'ls dum venga ATTQRNEY United States Patent Y 2,913,820 zvnNERAL AND Rocx sAMPLlNG UNIT Tor Henrik Hageman, Stockholm, Carl-Olof Oskar Morfeldt, Lidingo, and Nils Edvin Svensj, Bromma, Sweden, assignors to Aktiebolaget Separator, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Dec. 14, 1955, Ser. No. 553,153 `Claims priority, application Sweden Dec. 20, 1954 7 Claims. (Cl. 17S-206) This invention relates to a unit for sampling minerals and species of 'rock when hammer-drilling during liquid flushing, the holes formed by the drilling usually serving for the blasting of the rock.

In such drilling, the flushing liquid (water) is supplied y to the drilled hole through a central channel in the drilling tool. This water then flows along the outside of the drilling tool so as to entrain the bore-dust and carry it toward the opening of the drilled hole.

in connection with the drilling of holes by the abovementioned method, it has already been proposed to withdraw the bore-dust from the bore-hole by means of a unit comprising a tube which concentrically surrounds the drilling tool and which on its outside has a means for sealing the Youtside of the tube against the inside of the bore-hole, a vessel provided with an overtlow outlet for collecting the ushing liquid and the bore-dust from the tube, and a device for separating bore-dust from the liushing liquid discharging over the overow outlet. Be-

cause of sealing means mentioned, all bore-dust formed at the bottom of the bore-hole is lcarried by the ushing liquidunder pressure toward the yopening of the borehole, the entrained dust passing on its way to the co1- lecting vessel through the tube in the slot or space formed between the inside of the tube and theoutside of the drilling tool. The collecting vessel, to which the abovementioned tube is securelyrjoined, has a laterally arranged door through which it is possible tordrain ofi some of the bore-dust and flushing liquid, although rpart of the boredust must be scraped out if the bore-dust is -to be recovered quantitatively. .T he wall ofthe collecting vessel also has a row of holes which are vertically superimposed in relation to each other and which serve as overow outlets; but no Ymeans are provided for collecting quantitatively the ushingliquid digschargingthrough these holes, although the intension has been to recover this liquid and to separate its content of bore-dust by sedimentation in a vessel. Y s s vThe prior sampling unit described above,V has certain deficiencies in that a thorough recovery of all Vbore-dust corresponding to a certain length of bore-hole has been troublesome and has required considerable work and time. The present inventionhasfor its `principal object the elimination Yof, these diculties so that all bore-dust emanating from a certain bore-distance in the bore-hole can be rapidly and eiiiciently recovered by measures IQ- quiring little work, and so that the composition of the rock in the bore path can be studiedA in a laboratory by ana- Y lysing,` for instance, half-metre by half-metre. The results thereby obtained will, of course, be average values for the bore-distances in question.

In a sampling unit made according to the invention, the

collecting vessel is arranged so that it can be readily rev moved from thesampling unit and is provided with means ice for leading all the ushing liquid which discharges over the overow outlet (and which contains the rest of theV bore-dust) to a sludge-accumulating centrifugal separator having a readily removable rotor. The removability of the collecting vessel can, of course, be arranged in various ways. p

According to the present invention, after drilling through that distance of the rock which is to be examined,-

the supply of llushing liquid to the samplingunit andl also the drilling work is interrupted, or without interrupting the drilling work, the ilushing liquid is merely diverted from the sampling unit. This is followedby stopping the centrifugal separator, removing the collecting vessel from the sampling unit, withdrawing the rotorY with the accumulated bore-dust therein from the Asepa-4 rator, and sending the collecting vessel (for instance, an easily portable bucket) together with the rotor suitably placed in the vessel or bucket to the laboratory for analysis of the bore-dust. ln practice, a plurality of identically designed collectingvessels and rotors 'can' be used so that a new vessel and a new rotor can bey means of the casing and then passes down into the collect-4 ing vessel, due to the funnel-shapedbottomV outlet. The casing may have one or more legs for supporting the casing and which areadjustable-in length. Theilushing liquid entering the casing through the tube has a tendencyV to splash in the casing, and to prevent this and also to divert the liquid flow in a direction down toward the outlet, a screen (for instance, in the form of a rubber shield) having a hole for the passage of the drilling toolV can be arranged in the casing;

ln spite of the above-mentioned screen arrangement,"

the flushing liquid entering the casing'has a tendency, especially when drilling in a horizontal direction or in a more or less upward direction, to'ilow further along Vthey drilling tool and out of the casing, whereby part of the bore-dust would be lost. V-To prevent this, compressed-air nozzles may be arranged in the casing and so directed that" the air jets issuing from the nozzles will impede'continued ow of the ilushing liquid along thev drilling tool.

The removability of the collecting vessel can be provided, according'to a preferred embodiment, by placing the vessel in a funnel rwhich leads to the centrifugal separator and which is suspended on the sampling unit, preferably on the above-mentioned casing, so that it is readilyv removable and serves to receive the flushing liquid flowing out over the overow outlet of the collecting vessel.' To avoid the necessity of placing the funnel on the ground when removing the collecting vessel, which is located in the funnel, an alternative lower position for the suspension of the funnel can be arranged. ln this lower position, the collecting vessel, which as mentioned above may consist of a bucket, can be easily lifted out of the funnel without being hindered by the funnel-shaped bot-y tom outlet of the casing.

Outside the overow outlet of the collecting vessel, a1-

screen mayV be larranged to divert down toward the funnel the liquid passing out over the overflow out1et,-`

so that none of the liquid passes outside the funnel.

`In the unit according to theinventi'on, the main sepa- Y Patented Mar. 7, 1961.

ration of the bore-dust from` 'the ilushing liquid is intended to take place in the collecting vessel proper;v For this purpose, it is important to establish as steady and uni form conditions as possible for the liquid present in the the vessel so that the bore-dust will not accompany the llushing water over the overow outlet to any excessive extent. It has been foundsuitable for this reason to arrange the overflow outlet in the form of a plurality of holes evenly distributed along the periphery of the collecting vessel, these holes thus lying along a horizontally extending line. In order to prevent the discharge through the holes from being stronger at one side of the collecting vessel than at another side, which would cause ows of different strength in the vessel and counteract a steady sedimentation of the bore dust, the liquid level in the collecting vessel during the sampling procedure should be maintained a little distance above all the holes; that is, the vessel should not be inclined to any appreciable degree. On these conditions, the liquid jets coming out of the holes will be uniform; that is, the drain from the collecting vessel will be even along its entire periphery.

In order to avoid carrying along unnecessary quantities of liquid when transporting the collecting vessel to the laboratory, and, further,to make the vessel easier to handle when it is withdrawn from the sampling unit, the greater part of the liquid present in the vessel is discharged beforehand. This can be done by providing the collecting vessel with one or more closable holes situated below the overflow outlet. After the supply of flushing liquid to the vessel has been interrupted, but before the centrifugal separator has been stopped, these holes are opened, whereby the liquid situated above said holes ows out and passes through the separator.

'I'he flushing liquid entering the collecting vessel would normally cause strong turbulent flows inthe contents of the vessel, which would counteract a steady sedimentation of the vessel. According to a further feature of the invention, these turbulent llows are moderated eiciently by providing in the upper part of the vessel a set of gener-v ally radial vanes which is preferably detachable from the the vessel.

A preferred form of the new samplingl unit, adapted for drilling in a horizontal direction, is described more in detail below, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the upper part of the unit;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and showing the lower part of the unit, which is arranged so that it can be detached from the upper part shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a side view on a smaller scale of the unit as a whole.

In Fig. l, the rock face is shown at 1 and the borehole at 2. The outer portion 3 of the bore-hole has a greater diameter than the rest of the bore-hole and serves to receive the tube 4 of the sampling unit. The outside of the tube is sealed against the inside of the bore-holeV by means of an expanding ring 5 of elastic material, for instance rubber. A sleeve 6 surrounds the tube 4 concentrically and is threaded on the tube so that the sleeve can be displaced toward and away from the ring 5 by rotation of the sleeve through a lever 8 which is insertable in holes 7 in the sleeve. When displacing the sleeve 6 toward the ring 5, an outer tube 9 which concentrically surrounds the tube 4 is pressed by the sleeve against the ring S so that the latter is compressed in the longitudinal direction of the tubes and thereby expands in its radial direction thus sealing against the inside of the hole 3. Disks 10 at the ends of tube 9 serve for the pressure transmission. A ring`11 threaded on the tubeg4`serves together with a washer 12 to h oldl the ri'ng 5 `in position against the pressure exerted by sleeve"6.

Opposite the outer end of ,tube 4, is aj rubber `Shield 14 having a 1101613 for the passage ofthe drilling tl (not shown in Fig. l). The ushing liquid passing from the tube 4 into a casing 15 is diverted by the shield 14 in a downward direction towards the funnel-shaped bottom outlet 16 of the casing. The shield 14 is held by a bar 17 secured in the casing. A pair of legs, one of which is shown at 18, serves to support the casing 15. The supporting legs are of a telescope-like design and are each provided with a screw 19 for fixing the adjusted length of the supporting legs.

Any flushing liquid passing the rubber shield 14 and continuing to ilow along the drilling tool is subjected to air jets from compressed-air nozzles 20, which prevents further flow in the same direction. These nozzles are directed -so as to blow toward the drilling tool, as indicated bythe broken lines 21. The compressed-air nozzles Zit may be four in number and be evenly distributed on a tube coil 22, which is shown only in cross section in Fig. l. By a connection 23, compressed air is supplied to the nozzles 20.

In the side of the casing 15 which is opposite the borehole, a sleeve 24 is provided to guide and support the drilling tool which passes through this sleeve. At the upper part of the casing is a pair of suspension studs 25 located near opposite sides of the casing. 'Ihese studs support a funnel which is located below the casing and suspended on a pair of rods each of which terminates at the top in a loop 26 engaging one of the studs 25, only one stud and one loop being shown in Fig. l.

The funnel is shown at 27 in Fig. 2 and has a cylindrical collar 28 at its upper part. The funnel is suspended from the casing 15 by means of the two rods 29 having the looped ends 26 for the studs 2S. In order to make it possible to lift the funnel 27 easily, the rods 29 are equipped with handles 30. In the funnel 27, a collectmg vessel or bucket 31 is held by three supporting brackets 32 which are evenly distributed along the periphery of the funnel. These brackets space the lower edge of the bucket from the inside of the funnel and thereby form draining slots for the flushing liquid. The bucket may have a capacity of about 15 litres. At its bottom, the funnel 27 ends in a spout 33 designed to be connected to a centrifugal separator to be described presently. At the upper part of the bucket is a horizontal ring of holes 34, for example, twenty-four of such holes each having a diameter of 2-3 mm. These holes form the overflow outlet of the collecting vessel or bucket 31. At a lower point, the bucket has a pair of holes of, say, 8 mm. in diameter, which can be closed by rubber plugs 35. By means of these last two holes, the liquid thereabove is drained from the bucket before the latter is removed from the sampling unit.

In the upper part of the bucket is an insert which is preferably made in one piece and which serves several purposes. This insert comprises a funnel-shaped part 36 which is designed to receive the liquid flowing down from the funnel-shaped bottom outlet 16 of the casing 15. At its bottom the part 36 merges into a cylindrical spout 37. From the upper edge of the part 36 a cylindrical screen 38 extends downward and serves to divert downward toward the funnel 27 the liquid jets coming out of the holes 34. Vanes 39, preferably four, extend radially from the spout 37 and the lower portion of the part 36 and are securely connected to these parts. These vanes are evenly distributed around the periphery of the spout 37 and are designed to moderate the turbulent movements of the liquid in the bucket. The vanes 39 extend radially outward to the inside of the bucket, and the outer edges of the vanes have the same inclination as the wall of the bucket. In other words, the entire insert 36-39 is supported by the bucket in that the outer edges of the vanes rest against the inclined inside of the bucket. The irl--` sert can thus be easily lifted up and out of the bucket when the latteris to. be sent tothe laboratory. The swinging handlelof the, bucket, which shown lowered` to m'lol side, is indicated at 40.

'IfrFigL 3 the number 41 designatesone of a pair of studs secured to opposite sides of casing 15. These studs 41 serve to suspend the funnel 27 in an alternative lower position by means of the rods 29, when the bucket 31 is to be removed from the sampling unit. The drillingmachine proper, which is provided with supporting legs 43, is indicated at 42. The flushing liquid is supplied through the chuck 44 by means of Awhich the drilling tool 44 is inserted and held in the drilling-machine 42, as is conventional in the art. The exible tube for supply of ilushing liquid is designated at 46. Y

The funnel 27 is connected by a ilexible tube 47 with a centrifugal separator 48 of the type wherein sludge is accumulated in the centrifugal bowl or rotor proper, the latter being easily removable from the separator. This type of separator is well known in the art and requires no further description. The liquid separated from the sludge (the bore-dust) leaves the separator through au outlet 49. The separator is driven by means of an electric motor 50 built into the separator and supported by a foundation plate 51 standing on adjustable feet 52. The foundation plate 51 is also provided with handles 53 so that it can be easily lifted and moved, when required.

It will be apparent that the parts 25, 26, 29 and 41 forms a means for removably mounting or suspending the funnel 27 (and therefore the collecting vessel 31) in upper and lower positions on the casing 15 of the sampling unit. The funnel 27, screen 38 and connection 47 form a means for directing flushing liquid and residual bore-dust from the overow outlet 34 to the centrifugal separator 48.

The operation of the sampling unit is summarized below:

Flushing liquid flows into the bottom of the bore-hole 2 from the usual central channel in the drilling tool 45 and returns toward the opening of the bore-hole, carrying with it the entrained bore-dust. Due to the sealing 5 between the outside of the tube 4 and the inside of the bore-hole 2, the ilushing liquid is forced to ow through the tube 4 in the space between the inside of this tube and the outside of the drilling tool 45, thus entering the casing 1S. From here the liquid ows through the funnelshaped parts 16 and 36 down into the bucket 31, where the main part of the bore-dust deposits. The remaining smaller part of the bore-dust accompanies the liquid through the overflow holes 34 and down into the funnel 27, past the lower edge of the bucket and via the ilexible tube 47 into the centrifugal separator 48. In the rotor of this separator, thebore-dust is separated out and collected.

After drilling through that distance of the rock which is to be examined, either an interruption is made in the drilling work and the supply of flushing liquid, or the flushing liquid is diverted to a suitable discharge pipe (not shown), to permit removal of the sludge-collecting vessel 31 and the centrifugal rotor. Such removal involves drawing out the rubber plugs 35 and stopping and disconnecting the separator 48 from the funnel 27. The rods 29 are unhooked from the studs 25 and are suspended on the studs 41. The insert 36-39 is lifted from the bucket 31, which is then withdrawn from the funnel 27. The rotor is withdrawn from the separator and is sent together with the bucket to the laboratory. Another bucket and another rotor are inserted in position in the sampling unit, which is then made ready for continued operation.

We claim: l

1. In a sampling unit of the character described for recovering bore-dust from a flushing liquid introduced into the bottom of a bore-hole during formation of the hole by a drilling tool, said unit having a tube concentrically surrounding the drilling tool and sealed against the inside of the bore-hole, whereby the flushing liquid and entrained bore-dust are forced out of the hole through the tubelbetween the latter and said `tool,the combination of a collecting vessel for receiving the ilushing liquid and bore-dust fnom said tube, the collectingV vessel having at its' upper portion anroverow outletfor discharge of ilushing'liquid and residual bore-dust, a casing into which said tube opensland having a bottom outlet overlyingv the collecting vessel, a sludge-accumulating centrifugal separator of the type having a removable rotor, a funnel having a support removably mounting said vessel in the funnel in position to receive ow from said casing outlet and to discharge flow from said overow outlet of the vessel into the funnel, the funnel having a bottom outlet leading to the centrifugal separator, whereby the funnel directs ilushing liquid and residual boredust from said overflow outlet to the centrifugal separator, and means for removably suspending the funnel in upper and lower positions on the casing.

2. The combination according to claim l, comprising also a screen arranged outside the overflow outlet of the collecting vessel and operable to divert downward toward the funnel the liquid ilowing over said overflow outlet.

3. In a sampling unit of the character described for receiving bore-dust from the liushing liquid introduced into a bore-hole during formation of the hole by a drilling tool, said unit having an outlet for the llushing liquid sealed against the opening of the bore-hole, whereby the -ilushing liquid and entrained bore-dust are forced out of the hole through said outlet, the combination of a collecting vessel for receiving the ilushing liquid and bore-dust from said outlet, a substantial part of the bore-dust being adapted to settle toward the bottom of said vessel, the collecting vessel having an overflow outlet located at its upper portion for discharge of ushing liquid and residual bore-dust, means for removably mounting the collecting vessel in position to receive said liquid and dust from said first outlet, a centrifugal separator of thesludgeaccumulating type, and means for directing ilushing liquid and residual bore-dust to the separator from Vsaid overflow outlet while the vessel is supported by said mounting means.

4. The combination according to claim 3, in which said mounting means include a casing int-o which said first outlet opens and having a bottom outlet, said mounting means also including a support on the casing, and a member releasably engaging said support and suspending said directing means and vessel from the casing withA the vessel in position to receive flow from said bottom outlet of the casing.

5. The combination according to claim 3, in which said mounting means include a casing into which said first outlet opens and having a bottom outlet, said mounting means also including a support on the casing, and a v t member releasably engaging said support and suspending Y f i said directing means and vessel from the casing with the vessel in position to receive ilow from said bottom outlet of the casing, the combination comprising also a second support on the casing located below said rst support and releasably engageable with said member to suspend said vessel and directing means in a lowered position.

member releasably engaging the casing and ,suspending` the funnel therefrom with the vessel mounted onsaid 14 5 support in position to receive flow from said bottom outlet of the casing. i

(References on following page) References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Freymuth Oct. 17, 1911 Cross Mar. 1, 1932 5 Bednash May 8, 1934 Palmer et al June 1, 1937 Noble Jan. 31, 1939 Cross et al May 2, 1939 FORE1 3N PATENTS Norway May 11, 1953 

